2020-21 Manitoba Bisons/CW Thread

Sept 12/20

U-SPORTS/CIS BOOKMARKS

This is a peculiar off-season, largely because the NHL remains "paused".

As usual, the opening post has the links needed to follow USports/CIS hockey, right here.

League Sites:
USports Mens Hockey Site - Tw - FB
... sub-links : Standings : Schedule/Results : Playoffs : U-Cup
Canada West Mens Hockey Site - Tw - FB
... sub-links : Schedule/Results/Links : History and Records : Media Stats
OUA Mens Hockey Site - Tw - FB
... sub-links : Schedule/Results
AUS Mens Hockey Site - Tw - FB
... sub-links : Schedule/Results
ACAC Mens Hockey Site - Tw - FB
... sub-links : Schedule/Results : CCAA History : ACAC Hockey
BCIHL Site - Tw - FB
... sub-links : Schedule

Canada West Team Sites:
Alberta Golden Bears - Tw - FB
Calgary Dinos - Tw - FB
Lethbridge Pronghorns - ceased operations
MacEwan Griffins - Tw - FB
Manitoba Bisons - Tw - FB
Mount Royal Cougars - Tw - FB
Regina Cougars - Tw - FB
Saskatchewan Huskies - Tw - FB
Trinity Western Spartans - Tw - FB
UBC Thunderbirds - Tw - FB

AUS Team Sites:
Acadia Axemen
Dalhousie Tigers
Moncton Aigles Bleus- Google Translate
New Brunswick Reds - new link in 2019
UPEI Panthers
St. Francis-Xavier X-men
Saint Marys Huskies

OUA-West Team Sites:
Brock Badgers
Guelph Gryphons
Lakehead Thunderwolves
Laurier Golden Hawks
Ryerson Rams
Toronto Varsity Blues
Waterloo Warriors - Tw - FB
Western Ontario Mustangs
Windsor Lancers
York Lions

OUA-East Team Sites:
Carleton Ravens
Laurentian Voyageurs
Nipissing Lakers
Ontario Tech Ridgebacks
Ottawa Geegees
Queens Golden Gaels
RMC Palladins - Team Site

RSEQ (OUA-East) Team Sites:
Concordia Stingers
McGill Team
UQTR Patriotes - Google Translate - Tw - FB

ACAC Team Sites:
Augustana Vikings
Briercrest Clippers
Concordia Thunder
NAIT Ooks
Portage Voyageurs
Red Deer Kings
SAIT Trojans

BCIHL Team Sites:
Eastern Washington Eagles - withdrew in 2018-19
Selkirk Saints
Simon Fraser Clan - Tw
Vancouver Island Mariners
Victoria Vikings

Media Sites/Blogs:
Canadian University Sports Network - stopped August 2018
Breakin News N Crackin Brews (online radio)
TSN CIS Page
SportsNet CIS Page - SNU
The Attacking Zone - stopped December 2016
CISblog.ca
ChrisD.ca
MyToba.ca
Winnipeg Hockey Talk
Boxscore News - CIS Hockey Page
Independent Sports News
Hockey Scene - AUS
UNBHockeyFans.com
AcadiaAxemenHockey.com
Ryerson Rams Hockey Alumni
Horns Hockey Alumni (Lethbridge)
RedmenHockey.com (McGill)
Bison Mens Hockey - site down
Golden Bears Hockey Alumni (Alberta)
Hockey Blog in Canada (includes Manitoba)
The Manitoban (student paper)
The Varsity (Toronto student paper)
Regina Cougar Hockey Alumni
Bison Mens Hockey Twitter (Manitoba unofficial)
Game On Magazine

Online video/audio:
CanadaWest.tv - YareTV link
sportscanada.tv
AUSTV.ca
OUA.tv
CITR.ca - UBC radio
Rock 94 FM - Lakehead away games
UMFM.com - all Bison home games
SSN Canada

Canada West stats and data:
CW LeagueStats - Media Stats
CW LeagueStats - Standings
CW LeagueStats - Daily Schedule
CW LeagueStats - Rosters
CW LeagueStats - Skaters Stats
CW LeagueStats - Goalies Stats
CW LeagueStats - Team Schedules
CW Website Season Schedule - links to summaries
CW Website Stats
CW Hockey Tech Daily Schedule
CW Hockey Tech Stats

Stats:
Elite Prospects - USports Page - individual player stats on everybody
Internet Hockey Data Base (IHDB) : CWUAA Page - like Elite Prospects
USports/CIS Stats - 2009-10 to 2019-20
USports/CIS Schedule/Results - 2009-10 to 2019-20
USports/CIS Standings - 2010 to 2020
USports/CIS Playoff Schedule/Results - 2010 to 2019
AUS Archive
OUA LeagueStat
ACAC LeagueStat (inactive link)
Bob Adams Archives - CIS hockey from 1995-96 to 2008-09
Wikia - U Sports
... sub-links : University Cup
Wikia - CWUAA
... sub-links : GPAC : WIAA : WCIAU
Wikia - OUA/OUAA
... sub-links : QUAA : OSLC : OIAA : QOAA : CIAU Central
Wikia - AUS/AUAA/AIAA/MIAA
Wikia - North American Championship
Wikia - Universiade
Atlantic Canadian Hockey History

Old threads:
OHT34 2009-10
OHT34 2010-11
OHT34 2011-12
OHT35 2012-13
OHT36 2013-14
OHT36 2014-15
OHT36 2015-16
OHT36 2016-17
OHT35 2017-18
2018-19 OHT35
2019-20 OHT35
Manitoba Bisons 2007-08
Manitoba Bisons 2008-09
Manitoba Bisons 2009-10
Manitoba Bisons 2010-11
Manitoba Bisons 2011-12
Manitoba Bisons 2012-13
Manitoba Bisons 2013-14
Manitoba Bisons 2014-15
Manitoba Bisons 2015-16
Manitoba Bisons 2016-17
Manitoba Bisons 2017-18
Manitoba Bisons 2018-19
Manitoba Bisons 2019-20
2020-21 Exhibition Schedule - TBA

Note: The 2020-21 links are not yet in place.

 

June 8: Bisons Have Seven LOIs Registered



In the strangest off-season ever, it is easy to forget about basic things like recruits, schedules, etc. Well, time to shake the cobwebs and get the 2020-21 season talk going.

The Bisons have seven players with registered Letters of Intent (LOI) at the USports desk. [Link]


Alec Malo - C – Flin Flon (SJHL)

Malo is from Laval, Quebec and started his junior career with the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL in 2017-18. He then played in the QJAAAHL (their Junior A league, which they call AAA) in 2018-19 and in the SJHL with the Flin Flon Bombers in 2019-20. His numbers were 22-66-88 in 54 games. At 6'1" and 181 lbs, he could use some poutine and perogies Manitoba style

Links:
➤ Career Stats: Elite Prospects
➤ YouTube: Jan 20th
➤ Media: SJHL Story




Chase Hartje - D – Moose Jaw/Winnipeg (WHL)

Hartje is another WHL defenceman on the Bison roster, having played in Moose Jaw, Brandon, Kootenay, moving to Winnipeg with the franchise, then back to Moose Jaw. He is originally from Bemidji, Minnesota. At 5'11" and 172 lbs he is smaller than the usual Bison d-man.

Links:
➤ Career Stats: Elite Prospects
➤ Media: OSC : The Drive




Hayden Ostir - C/RW – Swift Current (WHL)

Ostir is a Winnipeg boy coming home after making the rounds in the WHL, covering Spokane, Medicine Hat, and Swift Current over the last four years. His numbers last year were 10-14-24. He is also 6'1" and 194 lbs. He also got a gold medal in the U-17s.

Links:
➤ Career Stats: Elite Prospects
➤ Media: SC Broncos : OSC
➤ YouTube: Feb 2nd/17




Liam Hughes - G – Winnipeg Ice (WHL)

But for one game in the AJHL, Hughes has played in the WHL for the last four years. After stops in Edmonton, Seattle, and Lethbridge, he backstopped the Winnipeg Ice last year. He had a 2.53 GAA, and a .914 S%.

Links:
➤ Career Stats: Elite Prospects
➤ Media: Lethbvridge : WHL




Noah Basarab - F – Johnstown (NAHL)

Basarab is a Gimli boy who went south after having played for Swan Valley and Selkirk in the MJHL. His stats were 16-12-28 last year.

Links:
➤ Career Stats: Elite Prospects
➤ Media: Johnstown Tomahawks : Athlete of the Week : Trib-Dem




Reece Harsch - D – Winnipeg Ice (WHL)

Having a WHL team in town is paying some recruiting dividends this year, as the Bisons land another d-man in Harsch. He is 6'4" and 201 lbs and wore an "A" last year.

Links:
➤ Career Stats: Elite Prospects
➤ Media: Winnipeg Ice
➤ YouTube: Feb 25/18 : Sept 19/17




Sam Stewart - D – Tri-City/Edmonton (WHL)

Stewart is another big d-man (6' 190 lbs) from Manitoba coming home for university. He finished last year with the Edmonton Oil Kings after four years with the Tri-City Americans, with a couple of stints with the Neepawa Natives in the MJHL.

Links:
➤ Career Stats: Elite Prospects
➤ Media: MJHL-WHL

 

June 9: News and Notes




The biggest story of the off-season is the unfortunate demise of the Horny Ones. This loss is somewhat blunted by the fact that TWU is joining the CW from the BCIHL and Macewan is coming from the ACAC. But coming a year after they hosted the U-Cup makes me wonder why they never devoted fundraising for the meat and potatoes, instead of the fancy dessert.

Links:
➤ Global News: University of Lethbridge committee to explore future of cancelled Pronghorns hockey programs
➤ UofL: Budget constraints spell end for University of Lethbridge hockey programs




Speaking of Holy Trinity, their coach is Barret Kropf from Estevan, Saskatchewan. I found a local news story about him.

Links:
➤ Estevan Mercury: Former Estevan resident preparing team for big jump




The biggest news on a national level is the cancellation of the fall sports (e.g. football) and the announcement that there would be no league play in CW hockey (amongst other sports) until the new year. Earlier, they had announced plans for a 20-game season in hockey (down from 28) and 5 games in football (down form 8).

This leaves maybe 10 weeks for a regular season and playoffs, if they want to keep the U-Cup in mid-March. I wouldn't be surprised to see playoffs truncated, perhaps confined to a single weekend conference tournament. That is all conjecture, though.

So no Vanier Cup, nor national tournaments of any type, in football, soccer, rugby, or field hockey.

I see that UVic's soccer teams are looking at an exhibition season for the new year. This may have applicability for other teams in other sports as well.

The Star-Phoenix story points out that we'll be waiting until October 8th for news on the January season, and the door is left open for provincial regulation. IMO, this makes an "unofficial" season for many teams a possibility.

Links:
➤ Winnipeg Sun: Canada West cancels fall university sports season, meaning no football or soccer for Bisons and Wesmen
➤ Global News: U Sports cancels 6 national championships due to COVID-19 pandemic
➤ CBC: Vanier Cup among national U Sports championships cancelled because of COVID-19 pandemic
➤ Times-Colonist: UVic’s fall sports cancelled due to COVID-19
➤ Star-Phoenix: COVID-19: U of S Huskies' fall sports cancelled for 2020 due to pandemic concerns
➤ National Post: Fall university sports cancelled




The Bisons had a small group of three grads (Adam Henry, Sean Christensen, and Jonah Wasylak) last year, all of whom found pro jobs in the ECHL before that season was cancelled. Also, first year goaltender Riley Lamb (who shared starting duties with Tyler Brown) also got a job.

Henry got a boat-load of awards, including top defenceman in the CW, first team all-star in the CW, and second team all-star in USports.

One former Bison not looking to ride the buses in the minors is Stephane Lenoski, who is now a MD.

Links:
➤ ECHL Tweet: Christensen and Wasylak to Norfolk
➤ ECHL Tweet: Adam Henry to Fort Wayne
➤ ECHL Transactions: Riley Lamb to Greenville
➤ GoBisons: Adam Henry named a 2019-20 Canada West First Team All-Star
➤ GoBisons: Adam Henry named Canada West Top Defenceman and recipient of Student-Athlete Community Service Award
➤ GoBisons: Adam Henry named a 2019-20 U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian
➤ WHL: WHL Beyond Hockey: Stephane Lenoski — Sports Medicine Physician




Out on the East Coast, coach Trevor Steinburg is leaving the SMUskies after 23 years. He was national coach-of-the-year three times in that era.

Links:
➤ Chronicle-Herald: Stienburg steps down as SMU hockey coach after 23 years




The Province of Manitoba has pretty much eliminated the Wuhan virus and a local sports summer should get off the ground. FWIW, Manitoba's numbers are:

8 active cases, none of which are in hospital
285 recovered cases
7 deceased

That is a below-average flu season!

Local Manitoba baseball and softball people have announced that their seasons will be starting soon. Could hockey be far behind? And if minor can be played, why not university hockey? It seems you just need to complete some forms, and away you go!

Links:
➤ Portage Online: Baseball and Softball Seasons Will Return This Summer

 

Good summary of recent happenings

But you ruined it all with "Wuhan virus".

At least in my opinion.

 

I've not read all of the other threads, but no OUA sports until 2021. At this point, I'd bet the entire 2020/21 calendar is wiped out. Ontario University Athletics putting the brakes on all sports for the fall semester - BayToday.ca

 

I'm going to say this is likely, but not certain, and is conditional on a vaccine. If there is no COVID-19 vaccine, there will be no USports in 20/21.

 

If there's a vaccine tomorrow, there will still be no USports. Regardless how fast they can produce the doses most plants can make about 400 million a year. Even if the output were to triple you're still looking at several years to vaccinate the worlds population. I'm sure 22 year old hockey players will be well down the food chain to get the vaccine. We're a long way off from November. A lot can happen in the next 5 months.

 

People put too much faith in a vaccine coming. First, it may never happen. Second, it takes 5 years to test for adverse reactions. Third, a vaccine could make things worse. The current virus is capable of treatment and has an excellent recovery rate. So politicians who say "wait for a vaccine", whether for sports or other activity, should be ignored.

On the "make it worse" theory, here's a story from CNBC which quotes Dr. Fauci:
Fauci tells Congress: 'There's no guarantee that the vaccine is actually going to be effective'

Personally, I believe this outbreak is a local issue and whereas some places will open in 2020, some will be shut much longer.

 

I don't dispute what you say regarding the vaccine timeline. I can't comment on if a vaccine would make things worse. You reference Fauci because he fits your narrative. And that's fine.

As far as ignoring those in "authority", that's not really possible at the scale we're talking about. It's one thing to sneak over to a friends house for a beer when you're not supposed to, or starting up large sports leagues.

While the outbreak can be local, the problem is people don't stay in one place, causing the virus to spread. Like it or not, we can do nothing until someone says we can.

 

It isn't politicians talking about waiting for a vaccine, it's the sport's governing bodies themselves. Hockey Canada has put out this graphic:



Phase 4 - provincial and inter-branch competition - is contingent on an effective treatment or a vaccine, and referencing the PHO's outlining of restrictions means that epidemiology will drive the decision-making. I think a January restart to university hockey is ambitious given the unknowns surrounding the second wave - and especially since the first wave still has a hold on Ontario and Quebec.

Sorry, but the suggestion that this will be a local thing is misreading what has happened. BC's outbreak was driven by its proximity to and regular interaction with the big outbreak in Washington. A key reason BC's response has ultimately been successful - in addition to the commitment by the populace to the physical distancing - was the closure of the border and the significant reduction in travel from both within Canada and from outside Canada. Assuming the pattern holds, the second wave could hit as early as November, which could then stretch until February or March.

Here's the interesting thing, however. If some modifications happen and hockey is allowed without crowds, there will be a whole lot of high performance players in major junior who suddenly have no place to play. The Canadian development model is based on teams (major junior, most of Junior A and most of Junior B) turning some kind of profit, and those profits are based in large part on ticket sales. University hockey in Canada is not similarly constrained. I'm sure their budgets require some spectators, but they certainly aren't under the financial pressures as the for-profit clubs are. So if the pandemic drags out and major junior (for example) can't re-launch, say, for the 2021-2022 season, could there be an impetus to get some of those high-profile players into university hockey just to allow those guys to continue their development?

 

Like BC, Manitoba, PEI, NB, and NL have all been successful because they had limited travel and because people followed the government's wise recommendations. At the risk of sounding like I'm bashing certain provinces, nobody was really visiting MB or NB in the spring anyways ... and both PEI and NL are islands that, like New Zealand, could easily eliminate travel.

I agree with all of this, except for the last part ...

Canadian universities don't (typically) rely on spectators to fund their USports hockey teams, but they also don't need sports to serve their role. Sports teams are a luxury, not a necessity, and will be among the first things cut when money runs short. Canadian university Presidents will be in no rush to bring back athletics, because universities could drop athletics entirely and still serve their purpose to society.

Athlete development, by the way, is not the purpose of a university.

 

Well, I wonder if universities would be more willing to look at the long term and see this as a way to shoehorn their way into the Canadian development model. My first thought was kids like Connor Bedard potentially losing out on a year of high-intensity hockey at a critical point in his career. Of course he's not university aged, but there are a lot of 18-year-olds who are in the same boat and I wonder if there's a place where they could play. Of the pressures on hockey programs, the one that doesn't exist in school-based sports is the pressure to turn a profit and put bums in seats. Are there university presidents who might look at this and say think this might be the time to attract elite Canadian players, knowing that in a few years when life is back to normal, they might be able to attract more fans with the NHL stars in the making?

You're right that it makes little sense for the short term. And it's not on-brand for university presidents to take those kinds of long-term risks out of their comfort zone. If there was ever time to come up with wild-eyed ideas, why not now that the world is upside down already?

 

Except doing that would mean infusing large amounts of money into the University sports programs, and that is something that most universities would have never even thought of doing in January of 2020, let alone in June of 2020 after all that has happened. Most universities are operating in deficit modes and can't justify putting any more money into an already money-losing venture.

The money would need to go towards installations and support staff mostly, and more money would be needed for equipment etc., than is already put in. Just check out the facilities of the top flight NCAA teams, they are better than anything the CHL has to offer, and often on par with many AHL/NHL teams, it's ridiculous.

I think both the NCAA and CHL models have their place in the hockey development world, but obviously both can't exist side-by-side. We already have a great very underrated product on the ice in U Sports, better games and higher level of play than many CHL games on any given night.

 

I can assure you there's nothing further from the minds of Canadian university presidents than developing professional hockey players.

 

I agree. I could see that a player here or there would go to school in January if he's got nowhere else to play. But no massive change to the hockey landscape.

 

This is not good.

 

This post aged well. As I was saying ...

I suppose it's theoretically possible that the OUA and/or AUS would carry on, but this certainly foreshadows the end of any hope for Canada West having a season.

 

U of A is saying this a financial decision, a result of the significant budget cuts delivered by the Kenney government, and not related to COVID.

 

Easy to blame Kenny when the University has already waved the Athletic and Recreation fees for the past two terms. There would be pressure for them to do the same.

That's a $3 Million hole to be filled in the Fall semester if they have to do that.

 

a) Every Canadian university (except, perhaps, RMC) is going to take a financial hit this year. This will come from a combination of reduced income (student fees, tuition, residence) and reduced government support due to reduced tax revenues. Whether you directly or indirectly attribute it to COVID-19 is really just a matter of taste. You could argue that Kenney's cuts were due to the crash in oil prices, but that crash was caused by the global pandemic.

b) USports has already announced no sports until January 2021. So, any decision to cut sports is inherently tied to COVID-19. Here, the U of A is deciding to not fund the possibility of having 3 months of hockey. When choosing what to cut, it's certainly easiest to cut funding for the thing that is unlikely to happen.

 

The Alberta budget came down Feb. 28. Universities in Alberta reacted pretty early to the numbers and indicated that they would have to make cuts to discretionary spending. This was before the pandemic really took hold in Canada, particularly in Alberta, where significant outbreaks happened a little later than in BC or Ontario. Lethbridge spiked its program soon after the budget, and well before any announced closure of the 2020-2021 season was announced.

I don't doubt at all the likelihood that the willingness of universities to fight is diminished by the fact that the season is, at best, truncated. But it's certainly true that budget cuts are deeper in Alberta, because of the government's decisions, than elsewhere in the country. Irrespective of the financial impact, the decision by U of A to eliminate one of their signature athletic programs - arguably the most successful in the country - is a huge blow to the psyche of the institution and I can't imagine they took this step lightly.

 

Let's just hope it does indeed turn out to be a one-year only and that some of their programs don't take a permanent cut from this.

 

1) I did two degrees at the U of A. 95% of the student population (and a higher proportion of faculty) barely know that Golden Bears hockey exists. There's no blow to the university's psyche.

2) Ask yourself this question: If there was no pandemic, would the Golden Bears hockey program have been put on hiatus for a year? The answer, clearly, is no. Kenney's government may have announced their budget Feb 28th, but the university is continuously updating theirs.

 

The odd thing to me is that this is likely to be a relatively cheap season for the 6 teams. 3, maybe 4, road trips (one of those likely to Calgary), followed by Western and National weekend tournaments. Cheap like borscht!